Right turn pulsation in steering wheel below ~40mph

[WallaceMI]

Hi,

I just bought a new 6th gen 2026 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road Hybrid, which came with Michelin tires. The car only has 350 miles on it.

I noticed the following:

• Light vibration/pulsation in the steering wheel at a slight right turn (clockwise) below 40 mph.
• ~45 deg steering angle clockwise at a right turn.
• No vibration driving straight or turning left (counter-clockwise).
• No vibration is noticeable in the chassis, only in the steering wheel.
• The left front has the red dot on the tire on the same spot where the valve stem is and the wheel balancing weights (all at the same location). See picture.

I brought the 4Runner today to the dealer to check. They checked all 4 tires for high-speed balancing, and 3 wheels were adjusted.
I drove home, but the light pulsation is still noticeable (maybe slightly less). I called the dealer back to see if they could perform a Road Force Balancing (RFB), but they don’t have the equipment.

The next step I thought is to go to Belle Tire and pay $15 per tire for an RFB.

My question:

• Did someone experience something similar on a brand-new 4Runner?
• If one tire has a uniformity issue, would RFB even fix that?
• Does a tire “break-in,” and the issue would smooth out?
• Any other ideas?

The pulsation is overall fairly light and I could see the majority of people wouldn’t even notice, but I picked up on it right away. I might be a bit of a critical customer

Sponsored

 

[127.0.0.1]

probably a shop with the good balancing and alignment equipment is the move.
red is the high point of a tire, should be mounted on the low point of the rim, then balanced

Key Facts About the Red Dot:

• High Point/Stiffness Mark: The red dot marks the area of the tire that sticks out the most or is slightly stiffer, known as the highest point of radial runout.
• Alignment: Instead of the valve stem, the red dot is ideally aligned with a corresponding dimple, sticker, or low-point mark on the wheel/rim.
• Alternative (Yellow Dot): If a red dot is absent, the tire likely has a yellow dot, which marks the lightest point of the tire. The yellow dot should be aligned with the valve stem.

If you have a red dot on your tire, you’ll likely have another red dot or sticker on the wheel itself behind the rim. On the wheel, the red dot indicates the wheel’s lowest point, and this red dot should line up with the red point on the tire.

 

[MTN Dew]

Rotate the tires. Move front axle tires to rear. Does problem persist after?

 

[BadTrainDriver]

Hi,

I just bought a new 6th gen 2026 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road Hybrid, which came with Michelin tires. The car only has 350 miles on it.

I noticed the following:

• Light vibration/pulsation in the steering wheel at a slight right turn (clockwise) below 40 mph.
• ~45 deg steering angle clockwise at a right turn.
• No vibration driving straight or turning left (counter-clockwise).
• No vibration is noticeable in the chassis, only in the steering wheel.
• The left front has the red dot on the tire on the same spot where the valve stem is and the wheel balancing weights (all at the same location). See picture.

I brought the 4Runner today to the dealer to check. They checked all 4 tires for high-speed balancing, and 3 wheels were adjusted.
I drove home, but the light pulsation is still noticeable (maybe slightly less). I called the dealer back to see if they could perform a Road Force Balancing (RFB), but they don’t have the equipment.

The next step I thought is to go to Belle Tire and pay $15 per tire for an RFB.

My question:

• Did someone experience something similar on a brand-new 4Runner?
• If one tire has a uniformity issue, would RFB even fix that?
• Does a tire “break-in,” and the issue would smooth out?
• Any other ideas?

The pulsation is overall fairly light and I could see the majority of people wouldn’t even notice, but I picked up on it right away. I might be a bit of a critical customer

Generally speaking, if you're not feeling/seeing vibration at speed AND in a straight line, it is not a wheel balance or alignment issue.

Read through this thread and see if your concern is similar:
Warranty Replacement: Steering Shaft Assembly - Clunking Noise Issue Fixed | 2025+ 4Runner Forum (6th Gen) Community - 4Runner6G.com

 

[WallaceMI]

Rotate the tires. Move front axle tires to rear. Does problem persist after?

Good idea but haven't tried that yet. Agree it would proof if it's the wheel/tire or not.

 

[WallaceMI]

Generally speaking, if you're not feeling/seeing vibration at speed AND in a straight line, it is not a wheel balance or alignment issue.

Read through this thread and see if your concern is similar:
Warranty Replacement: Steering Shaft Assembly - Clunking Noise Issue Fixed | 2025+ 4Runner Forum (6th Gen) Community - 4Runner6G.com

I read that thread before posting but this issue sounds very different. I don't have any clunk. It's simply a pulsation that only noticeable if turning the steering clockwise. If I turn it more then 45deg I can't even feel it anymore.

If it's not the tire (which maybe can be excluded by a simple tire rotation), it could be so many other things (input shaft, steering rack, half shafts) and I'm worried I going down a rabbit whole and convincing the dealer to replace parts and the car is never the same after (the dealer even scratched my black TRD wheels after their balancing) for more then an annoyance vs (as of now) a real issue. It will be probably also a pain to prove to the mechanic that this issue is really a concern.

Could it be the brakes maybe? My old car had back in the day some old rusted rotors and they created a steering wheel vibration when turning but were fine driving straight. New brakes and vibration was gone. Obviously that issue was much more noticeable on my old car but maybe an imperfection of the rotor?

 

[WallaceMI]

Not sure if that helps anyone but I put the full size spare on the front left side and the pulsation is still there. So I think I can exclude that it comes from the wheel. Maybe left front rotor/hub runout topic?

Sponsored